The question is often asked, "am I better off taking all the available courses in one or two areas (for example, in the history of Europe or Latin America), or should I spread my net more widely and take a broad sampling?" In general, random sampling is not a good idea and you should try to put together sequences of history courses that build upon each other and that resonate with other interests and skills that you have developed in other departments. For example, it makes sense to take a course on the "Contemporary US, 1940 to the Present" after taking "American Society, 1850-1917" and "The New Deal, 1929-1940," or to take a course on "The Nazi Era" (an era of merely twelve years) after taking broader courses such as "Germany, 1786-1914" and so forth. Matching your foreign-language skills with your geographic interests results in a certain synergy; instructors in French history or Japanese history, for example, are bound to be impressed by a student who offers to consult foreign-language sources for an assigned paper, but knowledge of a foreign language is never required in an undergraduate course.

You can complete all the requirements for a BA degree in history in four years. And in theory you could complete the twelve courses for a history major in three semesters, if all your other requirements had already been fulfilled. This is probably not optimal, however. Few students can carry five history courses a semester, particularly if they are working. Mixing history courses in with electives over a longer period will allow you to shape your major to emphasize better those things you’ve become excited about. With careful planning along the way, however, you may still graduate in fours years. For history majors that probably means taking courses that apply to the major before their senior year. In fact, many history students who work part-time or take less than a full load (15-16 semester hours) each semester or come to history after switching majors or transferring from another institution take longer than four years.

Timeliness in completing your degree is certainly an appropriate consideration in planning an undergraduate program--saving tuition otherwise spent on a fifth year of courses makes good sense--but speed isn’t everything. There are some circumstances, such as studying abroad when your goal is to attain foreign-language fluency, or the delay caused by catching-up when shifting from another major into History, that may justify an additional semester or two of college study. Being realistic about course load and work obligations can prevent you from registering for courses and doing half the work before with-drawing mid-way through. That costs tuition and book money.

Since 1995 the University has offered all entering students a "Four Year Graduation Plan" in an effort to speed up completion of their degrees. Students who participate in the Plan, however, promise to stay "on course"--they must pass regular "checkpoints" in meeting requirements for the major and must finish a certain percentage of their overall required hours every year. The four-year plan will not provide for a specific course to be offered in any year, however, and it is important to discuss which courses are more likely to be available again (if you can’t take them now) with your advisor.

Your faculty advisors will encourage you to meet your College of Liberal Arts & Sciences foreign language requirement in a way that relates to your geographical and cultural interests; if, for example, French history is your passion, then you will be encouraged to study the French language. Alternatively, if you already have a working knowledge of French, it makes sense to choose at least some French history courses that will benefit from your language skills. Advisors will also encourage you to pursue study abroad opportunities that accord with your foreign language and historical-geographical interests. All things being equal, wouldn't you like to polish your study of French history with a semester of study at the Sorbonne in Paris or to further pursue Japanese history while resident in Tokyo? (See Study Abroad)

Petitioning: Large institutions and their subordinate parts--such as history departments in state universities—have complicated regulations that are sometimes inappropriate to individual circumstances. For this reason, it is a normal practice for students to petition higher authorities after other efforts have been exhausted to gain relief from the too-rigid application of a rule or regulation. Petitions--which can be addressed to faculty members, to the chair of the department, to the dean of the College or even to the President of the University--should be brief and neatly typed. Because petitioning in an academic setting is not an appeal for mercy, but an exercise in rational persuasion, petitions should consist of concise statements of the problem, well-made arguments, and proposed solutions. If you have doubts about whether a petition is appropriate, talk with your advisor or other professor. (More generally, ask in the office when a professor can’t be found.)